


In Another World

by Loveless81



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Drabble, F/M, First Meeting, canonverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28389858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loveless81/pseuds/Loveless81
Summary: A brief drabble about what Levi and Slayte's first meeting could have been like in the Canonverse.
Relationships: Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 7





	In Another World

**In Another World**

Levi Ackerman rolled his shoulder as he leaned back in his chair, finally finished with the reports for the performance of the newest recruits of the Survey Corps in their latest expedition. Paperwork was a pain. It seemed that in the ever-changing landscape of new challenges that rose up to snuff out their regiment that, at least, was unchanging. Paperwork was always going to be a pain, but it demanded diligence and accuracy and Levi was exact in all that he did.

The chirping of birdsong sounded, muted by the glass pane of the closed window and Levi lifted his eyes to the wall clock, only to find it to be a quarter past three in the morning. No point in trying to get a few hours of shut-eye when the recruits would be up for breakfast in two hours – give or take. He tilted his teacup towards himself only to find that he had drained the last drops of tea quite some time ago already. With a frown of resignation, he pushed away from the oak table before him, the chair scraping against the hardwood floor as he did so.

Teacup in hand, he made his way out of his quarters and down the dimly lit hallway, seeking out the kitchens. Another steaming cup of black tea in the stillness before the first cadets rose in the morning was just the thing he needed to push lingering thoughts of all manner of paperwork from his mind.

When he pushed open the door to the kitchens, then, he paused briefly in the doorway, slightly disappointed to find it occupied.

There, in front of the stovetop, stood a tall, willowy young woman with long, raven hair bound in a ponytail. She bustled from one pot to the other, muttering instructions to herself as she adjusted the heat. She spun on her heel to pull plates from the cabinet on the opposite wall and froze suddenly in place as she caught sight of him.

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest as he observed her through cold grey eyes. His hair fell loosely over his forehead and, having caught her attention, he stepped away from the doorway and into the kitchen.

“Who let you in here?” he asked gruffly, stepping closer.

“Slayte Weber, sir!” she announced, straightening her posture and bringing her hand to her forehead in a salute. He eyed the haphazard excuse for a military greeting with an apathetic expression.

“Slayte? What the hell kind of name is that?”

“Er… it is my given name, Captain. I’ve been the designated cook for the Survey Corps since the 15th of March.” She announced standing as tall as she could.

“Oi,” he pointed towards the stove. “Your mess is boiling over.”

The clattering of the pot lid caught her attention and she squeaked in alarm as she rushed over and pulled the pot from the flame. Hurriedly stirring the porridge, she breathed a sigh of relief when she found that she had narrowly escaped it burning.

Wiping her hands on her apron, she turned back to the raven-haired man, “Is there anything I can get you, Captain?”

Levi frowned. So much for a peaceful cup of tea.

“I’ll get it myself,” he dismissed, turning towards the shelf, but before he could remove the tin of black tea, her hand shot out and pulled it from the shelf.

“Black tea, right?” she questioned, already turning for a teapot. “I’ll make it.”

Levi was not convinced. He didn’t like people. And he didn’t like new people. And he didn’t like new people making his tea, but he was not in a mood for unnecessary arguments so he settled at a kitchen table instead and watched her work through hooded eyes.

The way her eyes darted from the teapot to the cup as she measured the tea with both the spoon and her eyes indicated a degree of care in her work. She pulled the teapot from the flame as soon as it boiled and filled the cup, not allowing a metallic taste to taint the water from excessive boiling. Practical, efficient… she was alright.

“Isn’t it a bit early to be making breakfast?” he asked, watching her bustle around the kitchen.

“Um… well, it’s best to get a head start, isn’t it?” She floundered, resetting the teapot on the stove.

Having breakfast ready two hours in advance seemed like a bit of a stretch, but who was he to judge?

She crossed over to the kitchen table and set the teacup in front of him, carefully turning the saucer so the handle stood in reach of his right hand. Levi glanced at the gleaming brown liquid, not too light, indicating a weak brew, nor too dark, making it too bitter. It was just as it should be. He glanced up at the cook, somewhat surprised to find irises in precisely the same shade of dark brown looking back at him.

“Everything all right, Captain?” she questioned hesitantly.

Without answering, Levi spread his fingers around the brim of the teacup and lifted it to his lips, allowing the flavor of the tea to spread over his tongue. Smooth, well-rounded, and fragrant. She knew how to make tea, at least.

“What is a girl from the capital doing cooking for the Scouts?” he questioned in a smooth, low voice as he replaced the cup on the saucer. He lifted piercing grey eyes towards her and the distrust within them sent trepidation through her heart.

“Excuse me? I – I don’t know what you’re talking about, I –“ she faltered, entirely unprepared for the sudden interrogation.

He caught hold of her hand as she turned to leave and Slayte froze in place, turning slowly back to him. She hoped against hope that he could not see the blush on her cheeks, and that if he could, he would attribute it to the warmth of the fire.

The feel of her slight hand caught in his larger, stronger one – warm and calloused and perfect – was like a thousand candles lighting up at once.

Levi Ackerman.

Was there a single person within the walls who did not know that name? And ever since she had finally joined the Survey Corps, albeit as a cook, she had relished every opportunity she was granted to see him in action. Riding by on his mare, ordering the cadets to clean the headquarters – and rolling his sleeves up himself, as well -, poring over a stack of paperwork, striding down the halls with Erwin… She didn’t mind being invisible, simply seeing him was enough. It was more than she had dared hope for. She liked his coarse language, liked how particular he was in matters of tea and cleanliness, and she liked very much how much he seemed to care for his comrades, and so, when he had suddenly appeared in her kitchen, her heart had nearly burst out of her chest at so unexpectedly being brought face to face with the object of her secret affections.

And yet, she had to remain calm. If he found out about her ill-advised, one-sided feelings, surely he would want nothing more to do with her?

He slowly turned her hand over, revealing her own smooth palm to her gaze.

“Are you telling me this is the hand of a working woman?”

Slayte snatched her hand back and clutched it to her chest. She frowned, at a loss for words. She didn’t want to talk about her past – where she came from, who her family was, why she left. Those were memories she had been determined to put behind her. The very hand curled up against her chest had betrayed her. What had she been expecting?

“I don’t see how that is of any relevance, Captain.” She answered firmly, turning back to her work. She pulled the plates from the shelves and glanced at the wall clock. There was some time as yet until she needed to be plating. She pulled the sourdough from a nearby countertop instead and began kneading it to prepare for baking.

“You’re a long way from the capital, and you came to the shittiest place you could find outside of it. Why would a girl who has everything come here? Not to risk her life, no – that’s why you’re working in the kitchens. What is it?” he demanded.

“Information? Infiltration? Sabotage?”

When she refused to answer, he took another sip from his tea. “If you fess up, we might be lenient.”

“Why does being from the capital automatically make me a traitor?” she protested, gesturing towards him angrily. He frowned, as he saw flour fly from her hands as she waved them in the air.

“Oi. You’re making a mess.” He scolded.

“You think I didn’t want to be on the field?” She seethed. “They wouldn’t take me. All I could get was this job in the kitchens.”

She turned back to her dough and began forming it into loaves.

“Why wouldn’t they take you, brat? They’re too desperate to refuse.” He answered with an air of disbelief, as he drained the rest of his tea.

“I’m too old,” she lamented, cutting a neat slit along the length of the dough. “It’s too late for me to learn.”

“Normal people would be happy about that. Or were you that eager to get your ass eaten by a shitty titan?” He set his teacup onto the saucer and rose to his feet to bring the dishes to the sink.

“I’ll get that,” she interjected, turning to take the cup from him.

“Tch. Forget it,” he countered, brow furrowed in disapproval. “You’re covered in flour.”

She withdrew her flour-coated hands and stepped back, allowing him passage to the sink.

“I just wanted to get outside of the walls,” she answered quietly. “That’s why I’m here. I won’t get much chance, I guess, as a cook. But this is the best place to be, if I want to see what’s out there.”

Levi fell silent and watched her lower her head, wringing her hands.

“You might get your chance and regret it. It’s hell in here, but it’s hell out there, too. You just have to choose your hell.”

She nodded and bit her lip. It was dangerous, she knew. People died out there every day. Although she wouldn’t dare to say as much to Levi, who had likely lost more people than she could fathom to the Titans, she found herself thinking that maybe it wasn’t so bad to be out there with the whole world stretched before her, fighting an enemy she could see, as opposed to the enemy she had always known – whispers, jaded looks, and underhanded politics. Even if she lost her life to the Titans – her comrades would be grieved, wouldn’t they? Would they have a look in their eyes like the look Levi got when he was thinking about the fallen? Would they remember her that fondly?

She would never know. She was trapped in the kitchen making the three meals of the day from sunup to sundown and staring at her ceiling whenever she wasn’t in the kitchen.

Levi was out there every day. Leading his squad, fighting for their combined survival, coming back slightly more broken but leaving the next day even more determined. She would like to be the reason he came back broken, rather than have him not come back and leave her feeling broken. If something happened to him … she didn’t know what she would do. Leave the Survey Corps all together? Dash outside for one last, mad glimpse of the world beyond before a Titan gobbles her up?

She didn’t want to think about it. He was strong – humanity’s strongest, even – he would survive.

“This doesn’t mean I trust you,” Levi warned, turning to leave the kitchen. “Make one shitty mistake. I’ll be the first to know.”

“Is it me in particular or the capital that you don’t trust?” She questioned his retreating back, prying her hands apart to stop her compulsive wringing.

He half-turned to meet her dark brown eyes, his aloof, cloudy grey eyes looking her once over before he answered in a soft, lazy tone that echoed in her head long after he was gone.

“Both.”


End file.
